Optical fiber coherence tomography based on Fizeau interferometer configurations

Pierre Casaubieilh; Helen D. Ford; Ralph P. Tatam

doi:10.1117/12.571471

29 July 2004 Optical fiber coherence tomography based on Fizeau interferometer configurations

Pierre Casaubieilh, Helen D. Ford, Ralph P. Tatam

Proceedings Volume 5486, ALT'03 International Conference on Advanced Laser Technologies: Biomedical Optics; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.571471
Event: ALT'03 International Conference on Advanced Laser Technologies: Biomedical Optics, 2003, Silsoe, United Kingdom

Abstract

An optical fiber, Fizeau configuration Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system is presented in this paper. The interferometer is formed between the distal end of the sample-arm fiber and the sample itself. This ensures 'downlead insensitivity;' polarization variation is not a problem, as it is in the standard Michelson configuration. Path-length matching is performed by a secondary, bulk-optic scanning Michelson interferometer. A standard Fizeau arrangement, based around a directional coupler, makes relatively inefficient use of the optical power and has a poor SNR compared with the Michelson configuration. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of an optical circulator to permit efficient re-routing of the light, restoring the theoretical maximum SNR to about the same value obtained for comparable Michelson systems. The use of balanced detection to further improve the SNR is also discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Pierre Casaubieilh, Helen D. Ford, and Ralph P. Tatam "Optical fiber coherence tomography based on Fizeau interferometer configurations", Proc. SPIE 5486, ALT'03 International Conference on Advanced Laser Technologies: Biomedical Optics, (29 July 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.571471

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